Only words
by Ree923
Summary: just something I'm doing to get over writer's block...He had been beaten, but he was in no way defeated. The former Goblin King has much to punish Sarah for on his quest to become human again. Dark Jareth, at least for now.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue...

Jareth watched the girl and his citizens dance around her room. He had no idea how the girl had beaten him. His emotions were strange to him, painful and unwanted. He would find a way to destroy her even if it took his last breath. Flying towards the large full moon, he raced onward, knowing he could not return to his lost kingdom.

The Labyrinth would find another Goblin King and life would continue without Jareth. He wondered briefly if any of the little demons would even remember him, then made a low very not owl like growl. The full moon guided him on his journey, even as he knew it was the last place he wanted to go. But rules were rules, even for former Goblin Kings, and Jareth had to deal with the consequences of his defeat.

He had offered her dreams and the child had thrown it back into his face. Usually such a slight by a female would be forgotten but he could not forget. She destroyed his piece of mind and had beaten his Labyrinth. Had beaten _**him**_. It would not go unpunished.

He flew for hours, over an ocean that silently watched him. He let his rage fuel him until he saw his target. A small island misted in a light blue fog greeted him  
>and he landed at the mouth of a large cave. Landing gracefully as a<br>man again, he walked into the cave and waited for his summons. He did  
>not have long to wait.<p>

"How the mighty have fallen," a sweet feminine voice mocked. "And by  
>the words of a child."<p>

"I have not been defeated, only stalled in my quest," he answered  
>stiffly. "And I will have my revenge."<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Seline, Guardian of the Under Ground regarded Jareth with an amused air. She twirled long blue hair in her fingertips, wondering how a mere girl had brought Jareth to this humiliation. The moon itself seemed to watch the two former lovers and mock them both with its silence. Seline walked out of the shadows and gazed at the former Goblin King, her steps light on the cave's marble floor.

"You failed, Jareth, failed against a human child who should have been easily swayed by your cunning. How do you defend that failure?"

Jareth thought about that and frowned. She had deceived him, tricked him somehow, making him believe that she was an innocent girl trying to save her brother. When in reality, she was a manipulative, lying female - they all were in one way or another. They all lied and they all left him, not caring about him at all. It was the way of women. A vague memory of a singing woman holding him as a child struggled to break free into his mind but he ruthlessly suppressed it. It was not real, and he would never be fooled again.

"She is a witch, a conniver of some sort and she must be punished," Jareth said briskly. "She pretended to only want the babe back, but she knew the story, she had the book. She knows that she has destroyed me. And she laughs, even now - with my former subjects. I will have my vengeance, Seline. I will not rest until she writhes in pain on the ground in front of me, begging for death."

"Jareth, you are a fool," Seline said, sighing. "Your fondest wish was to leave the Under Ground to become human. You have left. Hasn't your Sarah done you a favor?"

"She is not my Sarah - she never has been and by her own words, she never will be mine," Jareth spat out, disgusted with the thought of tender feelings. "I will become human without any intervention from the child."

"And then what?" Seline asked mildly. "Will your first act as a human be to kill your Champion? What sort of man would that make you, Jareth?"

"A man who commands respect," he growled. "A man who will never again be taken in by cruel eyes and the softly beating heart of a child."

"You have much to learn before you can regain your humanity, Jareth," she chided gently. "You cannot go back to the Under Ground as a banished king and you cannot yet walk in the sunlight as a human. You will survive, for now, in the place between dreams and waking. You will have to prove you are - stable - enough to become what you wish. And your Sarah will be your guide - if she doesn't banish you for good."

"That's not fair," he cried and Seline smiled. This would be fun.


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah watched the last of her friends go back through her mirror and yawned slowly. It was two in the morning, the soft breezes outside making her tree sway almost like it was dancing. She'd seen the owl watching them, watching _**her**_, before flying off towards the moon, and she shivered lightly, hugging herself. She needed to check on Toby but she didn't want to wake her parents. Tiptoeing to their door, she opened it slightly and saw the baby hugging Lancelot closely to him in sleep. Closing the door again, she made her way to her room and fell onto her bed, exhausted.

She had saved her little brother and made so many wonderful friends who loved her as much as she loved them. She needed all of them. Well - except one glaring exception.

The Goblin King was the most infuriating, cruel lying creature she'd ever met. He'd taken her words and used them against her. She buried her head into her pillow to muffle her scream of frustration. She would never read that horrible book again, never even think those cruel words again.

**_But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers._**

Love, what would he know about love anyway? How to warp it into some callous needful thing that drained everything good and left nothing but lies. She sighed and turned onto her side, staring at the goblin king figurine on her night stand. She should probably throw the thing away, along with that book. She yawned again and settled in to sleep. _First thing in the morning,_ she thought to herself.

She slid into dreams easily, dancing with a masked Goblin King and knowing that her world had fallen down yet again. But somehow, she didn't mind it so much now.

jjjjjjj

Jareth walked over to Seline, smirking at her calm demeanor. She could be fury and cold blooded passion when the situation warranted, it made him want her even more when she showed her cruelty. But right now, all he saw was a blending of exasperation and pity. He would not tolerate pity.

"And how do you suppose you will have me live in the shadows, Seline? Wave your hand and cast me into a sea of dreams?" His mismatched eyes bore down into her clear silver green orbs and she smiled innocently at him.

"Jareth, I don't have to do anything. You know the game - you just have never lost before. How do you feel? Do your legs tingle? Does your chest feel like your heart is skipping outside of your body? You're fading, dear Jareth and may only be seen by those in slumber - and only if they search you out."

"I fail to see what that will accomplish other than serve as your self serving amusement," he barked and was appalled to see his hands fading in front of him.

"Dream your own dream first, dear Jareth - remember what you have lost before you seek what you wish to gain," her voice, like bells, rang around his head and he glared at her, moving to strangle her but his hands went right through her. She laughed.

"Dream a little dream, and see where it leads. Perhaps you may never get to wake up and what a pity that would be," she turned around and walked down a dark corridor carved into the cave. He tried to follow but he was being pulled away, up into the stars. He screamed, not wanting to remember anything of how he became what he was. Not wanting to remember the singing woman and her lies.

jjjjjjj

Sarah was dreaming, she knew it and she was enjoying it. All of her friends from the Labyrinth danced around her and she felt warm and loved. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a strange woman with blue hair down to her feet watching her silently.

She looked back to her friends but they were gone. Puzzled, she walked to the lady and tilted her head, trying to remember if she'd seen her before.

"Do I know you?" Sarah asked. The woman laughed.

"No, but I know you, Sarah Williams. How do you feel knowing you destroyed the Goblin King?"

"I didn't destroy anyone, I just got my little brother back. Besides, I saw Jareth fly off towards the moon. He's fine." Sarah was not sure of that fact but it was only a dream and she would not worry about it.

"He flew towards me. I am Seline, Guardian of the Under Ground. Jareth and I have been - friends - for quite some time. But I still had to pass judgement on him, it is the law and my obligation to do so. I have charged you with a task, little Sarah - let's see if your cunning continues to aid you. But be warned - Jareth is no longer what you dreamed he was - he is no romantic villian now. He is a man scorned and seeking vengeance. I hope you are ready for him."

The woman faded away and Sarah woke up, sweaty and breathing hard.

"What in the world was that about?" she asked her stuffed animals. Rolling her eyes and knowing she'd get no answers from her toys, Sarah went back to sleep and thankfully did not see the woman again. Or Jareth.

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Jareth was three years old sitting on a woman's lap, laughing. He was clapping his hands and trying to sing the words the woman was, but he kept forgetting them.

"No worries, my love," the woman said. "Music is in your heart no matter what words you sing." He went to kiss her and the room suddenly was on fire. The woman screamed as rafters fell and people ran for safety. He could see little monsters coming for him and he cried for the woman to save him. He ran until his little legs were ready to give out and one of the monsters grabbed him.

Then everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Jareth howled as memories tried to attack him. A village where people were singing, a celebration of some sort. Warm arms held him and he felt loved and happy, the singing of his family surrounding him with joy. Then suddenly - the explosion. The smell of burning flesh filling the air. The woman throwing him to the monsters, laughing at him with evil intent. The full moon blinding him as it seemed to come closer to him with each step he ran, coming to swallow him whole. Screams pierced the night air and then all was still.

"You cannot outrun your memories, Jareth," Seline's calm voice mocked him gently. "They will always find a way to catch you in the end."

He had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide - except one place that called to him. _**Yes**_, he would feed the nightmares to someone else, free himself of the pain and hunger they caused him. Focusing on one heartbeat out of the many that called to him, he flew quickly to the one who would save him from the madness. The one who deserved to have all of this anguish force fed to her psyche until she was a broken shell and he could be free again.

_**Sarah**_, his mind whispered. He ignored the pang of some unknown emotion inside of his heart and flew faster to his destination. At her window, he stopped, furious and helpless. He could not go where he was not invited. He was a prisoner of the girl's whims and she would never think of him again. Seline must have wanted him to be banished from all worlds and he hated her for it even as he understood. He was unwanted and without his rank and powers, no one had any need of pretense now. He was thrown away again and this time there was no Goblin Kingdom waiting to take him in from the cold.

He watched her sleep, feeling a dark need to touch her. How could she go back to her normal, boring life while he stood in shadows? She'd mocked him, infuriated him to the point of madness and acted as if she could condemn him with her rejection. And still, she slept on with that innocent look she could conjure up to fool the world.

She shifted, moaning his name. _**Yes**_, he thought, _**I can come to play now.**_

_****_He slid into her dream easily, watching in disbelief as Sarah danced with a dream Goblin King. She looked afraid somehow. That was good, she should be afraid, he could kill her easily in her sleep, making it so she never woke up. As his anger poisoned her dreamworld, Sarah glanced around in surprise. She hadn't been dreaming of Jareth, but it was like he called to her. Was that strange woman back too? No, she couldn't see anything but a murky blue haze and her dream Jareth disappeared. Moments later she saw him again, if full armor - just as he'd been when they'd first met. And he bared his teeth, pulling out a blade, walking toward her with a determined air of vengeance.

She backed away, no longer wearing her beautiful gown as he advanced. She found herself in rags, torn and dirty with no shoes on her feet.

"Goblin King?" she asked, holding up a hand. He slashed at it with his blade and she felt pain. Eyes wide she turned to run and found herself in a burnt village, the smell of flesh and cries of children flooding her senses. She spun around to see where Jareth was and paused. He was gone.

And Sarah stood there in the middle of the village, and knew fear.


	5. Chapter 5

The village was devoid of life as far as Sarah could see, but her vision was clouded by heavy black smoke from almost every burnt building. As her eyes adjusted she saw a little blonde boy running from the largest dwelling, calling for his mother. She ran after him, but he did not seem to see or hear her.

"Little boy - wait, stop - you're going to get hurt," she yelled, but he ignored her. Racing after him she entered a smoking building and looked around. No one was there, not even the boy.

"Is anyone here?" Sarah called. A low mocking laugh filled the air and she spun around to look behind her. Nothing.

"Who's here? Did you hurt the little boy?"

"You hurt the boy more than I ever could," the voice hissed. Sarah walked slowly, searching for the source of the voice. She wandered into another room and looked around, seeing burnt toys and a child size wooden horse, complete with saddle. She touched it, wondering if it belonged to the boy.

"Please, whoever you are, come out where I can see you," Sarah pleaded. "Let me know the boy is safe."

"The boy is dead and you killed him, Sarah Williams," the voice accused. "Your cruel eyes and your lying heart. Such a witch should not be allowed to live," the voice was closer now and Sarah trembled.

"I didn't hurt anyone," she said calmly in spite of her fear. "I couldn't hurt anyone especially not a child."

"Lies!" the voice yelled bitterly and a fierce wind blew threw the cottage sending Sarah flying through the air. Screaming she tried to grab onto something but everything she touched was as hot enough to burn her hands. Helpless, she was sent crashing into a wall and fell to the floor, dazed.

A dark robed figure stood before her, and Sarah sat up to get a better look.

"Who are you?" she asked, rubbing her head. The figure did not answer. Somewhere nearby, Sarah heard the sounds of a child crying and she stood up to find the boy.

The figure pushed her into the wall. "You will not harm him again. You will never lie to anyone again." The figure's hand raised and Sarah could see a scarred hand reach for her throat. Screaming, she ran from the robed assailant, running for what seemed like hours. Suddenly, she fell down a large hole in the ground, landing with a thud on the hard wooden floor below. Looking around she started to cry, she was in an obilette, but this one was filled with whispers and accusations.

"You didn't save us," a voice called.

"You left us," another accused, bitterly.

"You are not one of us," yet another hissed. Sarah looked around, but saw no one. Her eyes rested on an old lantern and suddenly, it was lit and she grabbed it. Looking around, she saw a large painting on the wall. A woman with smiling blue eyes stood next to a handsome blond man with a wicked smile. They were both holding a little boy with platinum blond hair and the sweetest smile Sarah had ever seen.

"How beautiful," she said softly.

A low rumbling filled the air and she looked away quickly. Were the walls closer? She looked back at the painting and gasped.

Blood ran from the mouths of all three people in the portrait and they were glaring at her.

"You must pay," they screamed. Sarah shook her head, terrified and spun around to leave. She ran into a wall and fell backwards as the walls closed in on her. Screaming, she covered her face.

Sarah awoke, breathing heavily. What was that? She'd never had a nightmare like that before - it must just be a delayed reaction from her trip to the Labyrinth. Yeah, just getting out some fears and frustration, that was all - in the morning she'd be fine.

She glanced down at her pillow, surprised to see blood. Looking at her hand, she noticed the fine line of a cut crossing her hand. She may have fainted then.


	6. Chapter 6

Jareth sighed bitterly. The girl was stronger than she looked. She had openly defied him even in his dreams. He didn't want to feel anything for her, but he couldn't get her out of his mind. Her cruel beautiful eyes and her long brown hair that flowed like magic down her back. Why should she have so much power over his future? Why did he not simply destroy her and take his chances? He couldn't and it was eating him up inside, like a slow moving poison. She was still defeating him, even in dreams. He could not bear it.

Gazing up at the pale moon he drifted in and out of clouds, not in the physical world but not completely in dreams. Would this be his eternity, a never ending journey leading back to his own defeat? Despite his efforts, he started to think on the nightmare he'd given Sarah, bits of his past that he didn't fully remember.

He thought of his old room several lifetimes ago, when he was with the singing woman. He almost remembered her face if he tried, and he never tried anymore. His thoughts drifted and he was in his childhood room, with the woman. She was humming something sweet as she tucked him into bed, lovingly brushing back his hair from his blue eyes.

"I love you," the young Jareth told the woman and the older Jareth flinched. If he had to remember, he would not feel anything.

"You are mine angel," she said sweetly. "You will always be safe."

Voices outside the room bled through the walls, startling Jareth. Angry voices and the calming rebuttal of someone familiar. Someone safe.

"She is not one of us, and neither is the child. They have been seen out in the woods, doing their spells. Why do you deny what we see with our own eyes?"

"She is my wife and he is my child – you will not persecute them because of her heritage. They are my family and I will keep them safe."

"We will return, Johann – there will be more of us. And then we shall see how much you value your so called family."

The woman held Jareth tightly as he trembled. Why were the men angry? Had Jareth done something wrong? After a moment the door opened and the man entered, smiling. But the young boy could see stress on the man's face.

"My beautiful boy, why are you not sleeping?"

"Papa," the young Jareth said, "I'm frightened." The man gathered up his wife and child and the elder Jareth forced himself to watch.

"You need not fear, Jareth," his father said. "We are always with you. Sleep my son and the new day will greet you with love."

The older Jareth ground his teeth. The man had been a fool. Humans and their love, it was enough to be glad he was not - but he wanted to be human, didn't he? Wanted the life that was taken from him all those years ago. Jareth growled and the images faded away, leaving him alone in the cold blackness of the night.

Jareth cursed at the moon and let his mind close down as he rested between the light and the dark of the day. There would be time to sort it all out. And Sarah would help him somehow, but he wouldn't let her lies get in the way.

_**JSJSJSJS**_

__Sarah woke up and winced. Her hand was throbbing - she had to get some gauze. Walking to her bathroom she heard Toby giggle in their parent's room and she smiled. Toby was safe and she'd face down a hundred nightmares if it meant he would stay that way.

After bandaging her hand she went back to her room and called Hoggle through her mirror.

"What happened to yer hand?" he immediately asked.

"I cut it, nothing to worry about," she said but he saw the shadow in her eyes.

"Out with it, you know you can't lies to Hoggle."

"I had a bad dream, I must have reached out with my hand and grazed it on something sharp." She shrugged, like it didn't bother her.

"What would you have sharp near yer bed?" Hoggle demanded.

"Well, all right look - I had a nightmare about Jareth. But it was just a dream and I'm fine."

"A dream about the rat? Sarah - did Jareth hurt you?" His eyes were wide and serious. Sarah tried to laugh.

"How could he hurt me - he has no power over me, remember?"

"That's in our world, Sarah - never in yours." The old dwarf looked worried.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean - you must be careful if you dream of him again - don't go nears him - you understand? He's raging now, he's lost his kingdom and his, never mind."

"No - what has he lost?" Sarah's eyes showed concern and Hoggle did not like that at all.

"He's lost the right to be here. Another Goblin King is being chosen and the rat's gone. That's all I knows and that's all I'll say on the subject. I gotta go, but you remember what I said, Sarah. You stay far away from him - even a dream can hurt you if you let it."

"Hoggle, wait," she said, but her friend was gone.

"Now what on earth was that all about?" she asked herself.


	7. Chapter 7

Sometime around midnight, Sarah sat on her bed, holding her copy of the Labyrinth. If Jareth was in pain, why was he blaming her? Surely other people had won the game, been sent back home? And it was a game, wasn't it - just a way for her to realize she loved her brother enough to fight for him? Sighing, she opened the book and gazed at the painting on the first page. It was a painting of the Goblin City and there was a young version of Jareth commanding his goblins into battle. In the tower overlooking the city was an old man, looking at Jareth with something like pride. She'd never noticed that before and read the tiny imprinting under the illustration.

**_The old King observes his heir Prince Jareth's first battle. _**

Sarah studied Jareth's expression. It was hard and cruel and she felt a tear form as she gazed at him. Hoggle had sent her a letter through her mirror, asking her to forgive him - that he was trying to find where Jareth was and what he was planning, but it was slow going. Sarah placed the folded letter into the book and held it close to her. She yawned, fighting sleep. Somehow, her fairy tale villain had turned into Freddy Krueger and she wanted to know why. She tried calling Hoggle but he would not answer her. Leaning back into her pillow, she gave up - she needed sleep. Maybe she could try to think happy thoughts - puppies and rainbows and gorgeous Goblin Kings - no. She had to stop. He was going through turmoil and was dangerous. And she was no match for him in her own world. Why could she just not let this go? One bad dream and an accident with her hand - she would not believe he had meant to harm her.

Slowly she fell asleep and was back in the village. And she knew she was not alone.

Sarah found her way into the large burnt building. It was empty but she could hear the faint crying of a child. She had to find him, whoever he was, and see how he knew Jareth. She entered a child's bedroom and stared at the tiny bed and burnt toys. She felt ill, but held the tears inside.

"So you return to see more?" A beautiful woman with long blue hair appeared at her side. Sarah jumped slightly, but the woman did not look at her, but only stared at the little bed. She seemed distant, as if she were remembering something.

"Who are you? I saw you before in a dream. Where is the little boy? And Jareth?" Sarah gazed at the woman with a mixture of fear and anger.

"So many questions, my pet. I'll answer your first question. I am the Guardian of the Under Ground - meaning I see all, know all, control all within my realm. To a point, anyway. The little boy is where you left him - in dreams. As for Jareth - he's never far from you if you know where to look."

"None of that made any sense. Are you trying to trick me?" Sarah's green eyes narrowed and the woman smiled sweetly.

"Ah pet, there is no need to trick you. In fact, I shall do a rare good deed and give you a gift." The woman's hands twisted over something round and shiny. A crystal. Sarah glared at it.

"I've already had my dreams offered to me once."

"Oh silly girl, do you think your dreams are the only ones that matter? These are the dreams of the little boy you so wish to learn about, see if you can learn anything of value."

Before Sarah could answer, the woman threw the orb in the air and disappeared in a glittery cloud. Sarah shook her head. Dream or not, that woman had something to hide. The crystal shimmered in mid air for a few moments before bursting into tiny bits of light that surrounded Sarah from head to toe. When she could see again, Sarah looked around the room and frowned.

It was as if there had been no fire. A woman was singing a lullaby to the small boy she'd seen before, telling him he was her angel. Sarah watched in fascination as the scene played out. The raised voices, the father entering Jareth's bedroom.

"What could have happened?" Sarah whispered. The scene changed to one of a birthday party, ribbons hung around the room, dancing and singing. A hooded figure slid up to Sarah and growled.

"What happened was what always happens when you believe in love, precious," the voice hissed. "You get burned."

"We come to kill the witch," a loud voice yelled and then an explosion rocked the house, people screaming and running. Jareth's mother picked him up and ran out of the house towards a large pond in the nearby woods.

"Take my son," she begged someone there. "I renounce all claims to him."

"You do not love him?" A voice hissed. The woman took a deep breath.

"No - I do not. Take him as he is no use to me."

"Momma," the young Jareth cried. The woman started laughing, but to Sarah the laughter sounded forced and hollow.

"Go with the goblins, Jareth - they are your family now."

And then the woman ran away and the little three year old was grabbed by a large goblin. Jareth cried and screamed for his mother for hours.

But she was never to return for him.

The scene changed and Sarah's eyes filled with tears. The figure next to her watched her reaction. She turned to him and held out her hand.

"Oh Jareth, I'm sorry."

"NO!" he yelled, holding up his hands to ward her off, "I cannot bear your pity."

"I don't pity you, I'm trying to help you," she argued. He laughed bitterly.

"You can help me by letting me destroy you. Then I'll be able to start again. They will all know that in the end I did conquer the Champion. I am a true King."

"You can't mean that," Sarah said. "And I won't let you near enough to destroy me. I am sorry, Jareth - but you're going to have to be the one to grow up now."

"What?" Jareth said, confused. Sarah walked away and didn't look back, disappearing into the mists.

Sarah woke up crying and spent the next few hours staring up at her ceiling. She would not go back to sleep tonight.


	8. Chapter 8

Sarah ran to the library after school and went straight to the section on German mythology. There had to be something there about what Jareth's mother was and why those dreams had been so intense. She had no idea what she was looking for, but she would find it.

An hour later, her eyes blurred. Taking her compact out of her bag, she called to Hoggle softly.

"Hoggle, please come to the mirror." A few moments later, her old friend was there, concern in his large eyes.

"Sarah, are you all right? He didn't hurt you again, did he?"

"No, not really. Listen, what do you know about Jareth's mother? Was she a witch?" Hoggles eyes grew even larger and he glanced around him as if he didn't want to be overheard.

"Sarah, we's never talk about his momma. But, yes. Look in the blue covered book behind you." Sarah turned and frowned.

"There's no blue covered book," she said then paused. A small book, the size of her red covered Labyrinth book floated from the shelf into her bag.

"It's from the rat's old library, keep it with ye and read it if you must. But Sarah, I meant what I said before - stay away from him." Sarah stared at her friend sadly.

"I can't, Hoggle - I don't know what it is, but I just can't. He needs me."

"Sarah," he warned, then shook his head. "We can't protect you in your world, Sarah. You're on your own if you do this."

"I know." She looked at the book, set so innocently in her backpack and sighed. "But he's been on his own for so much longer, hasn't he?"

Hoggle didn't answer, he only looked at her sadly and slowly faded away.

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Back home, she opened the blue book and was startled to see the same painting she'd seen in her dream. A smiling couple with a beautiful blonde boy between them.

_**Lord Johann Herzog, wife Lady Helene and son Jareth, aged 3**_

She turned to the first chapter and read.

_**Lady Helene Herzog was long rumored to be a witch, though her husband was powerful - he had no control over the superstitious minds of his neighbors. One night, at young Jareth's third birthday celebration, an angry mob came and destroyed their home. Killed were the boy's parents and presumably Jareth. His body was never found, though people swore they saw the young boy return once after the fires, searching for his mother beneath the burning embers of their home. His hands caught aflame and he was pulled back into the darkness by beings no one would name or acknowledge. And he was never seen again.**_

_**There are those who say that Jareth became part of the Goblin Kingdom, bent on revenge against all who would harm a child or destroy a family. Never again would an innocent child be ripped away from happiness. But these are only stories. So far.**_

___Sarah, I need you. _Sarah looked around but did not see where the young boy's voice was coming from.

"Who's there?" Silence. She must be hearing things, reading about goblins and witches.

_Sarah, please. The man scares me - I don't want to see him again. Please save me._

__She looked at her clock - ten thirty. Well, she needed sleep and the little boy seemed to need her. So she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself enough to sleep. It would be hard, maybe she wouldn't fall asleep at all, maybe -

Within minutes, the young girl was fast asleep and speeding towards the village once more.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sarah wandered the abandoned village again, searching for the child. She could hear him crying, and just beyond the smoky mists of the destroyed buildings, she could see the Goblin King searching for her, calling her name in a soft whisper that carried over the heated carnage. She had to avoid him until she knew more of what was happening._

_She heard a woman singing in German, but couldn't see her. The woman sounded so near that Sarah was surprised to not find her._

_"Sarah," the little voice called to her. "Where are you, Sarah? I need you."_

_"I'm coming," she called, seeing a flash of blond hair from a window. She ran into the house and searched blindly. The furniture was burnt into shapeless hulks, blocking her path at every turn. The woman's voice came out of the blackened nothingness._

_"He's upstairs, child - go to my precious son, tell him I never stopped loving him." Sarah glanced around her but could barely see her way in the darkened rooms. She coughed, feeling her way towards the broken staircase._

_Somehow she made it up the stairs and found the boy huddled in the corner of his bedroom, shaking with fear. He looked to be around twelve now, still so young, but she could see the strength hiding somewhere within him. She just had to help him find it for himself._

_"I'm here," she said, wrapping the boy in her arms. He held onto her tightly, crying into her shoulder._

_"He scares me, I don't want him to come back. But he always does - he tells me I'm bad, that I killed my mama. But I came back for her," he held up his burnt hands and Sarah gasped. "I came back and tried to find her, but she was burnt up. I came back even though she didn't want me."_

_She saw the explosions again, the goblins grabbing for him. She watched the boy run away to find his mother as the world burned around him. He pulled at the embers of his home, ignoring his hands blister under the intense heat. _Sarah had a vision of the boy being raised by a fair but harsh Goblin King who would defend him against the taunts of the goblin armies. They thought him too human to lead, until he had pushed that humanity so far down inside him that it couldn't find him again.__

_"She did want you, Jareth - she loved you so much. You have to believe that," she said, rocking him in her arms. The woman's song grew louder, the words of love filling the room like a blanket of devotion._

_"How can you know?" the boy sobbed, hanging onto her. She wiped tears from his dirty face and smiled._

_"She told me so," Sarah said softly as the door burst open. They looked up to see the Goblin King in battle armor, eyes crazed with pain. Sarah shielded the boy from his adult self, knowing that the end was near. The woman's song stopped abruptly as if it had never been heard._

_"You lie," the older Jareth screamed, running towards them,_ sword_ drawn._

_"Sarah," the younger Jareth cried out, and in an instant, Sarah was falling through darkness, still holding onto the boy._

**_JSJSJS_**

Sarah looked around in shock. She was in the Escher room and somehow she realized she was awake. She was alone but she felt the eyes upon her, watching - waiting.

"Who's there?" Sarah called, daring her watcher to be revealed. A soft laugh and a flurry of light filled the room. Seline appeared, watching her closely. The blue haired woman crossed her arms and gazed at the girl who had won Jareth's soul and hadn't realized it. Such a pity.

"Trying to save the man who's trying to kill you. Tell me Champion, do you wish for death so fiercely?"

Sarah glared at the woman, trying to decide if she would turn out to be an enemy or an ally.

"He's in pain, he didn't understand his mother's sacrifice. I won't let him think he's alone, he's not." Sarah was stubborn and somewhere, in the darkness, Jareth listened.

"You pity him," Seline taunted, "you wish to break what is left of his spirit."

"I can't pity him," Sarah said in a low growl. Jareth had heard enough and dragged the boy out in the open, the blade at his younger self's throat.

"You cannot. You must not," he mocked. "You think to banish me by making me weak, by listening to your lies - my mother's lies. It will not be tolerated."

"Jareth, you wish for your humanity, but you fear it," Sarah said softly. His eyes grew hard and he pulled the blade closer to the young boy's throat.

"I fear nothing! You should be afraid, you and your cruel eyes. I loved you even as my heart knew it could not love another. But you mocked me, taunted me with your pretended innocence. I offered you my heart and you abandoned me just as she did."

"Like everyone will leave you, Jareth," Seline spat out. Sarah glared at her before turning to the Goblin King, praying he would listen.

"Your mother loved you Jareth, she had to do what she did to save you. Remember that night. Remember the way she carried you away from the flames - away from the men trying to harm you. She gave you a chance at life."

"A life of cruelty and pain, beaten by guards to make me stronger. Starved by fine nobles who ate feasts in front of me to teach me discipline," he hissed, staring down at his hands. The gloves were off now and Sarah saw the reason for them. Deep scars covered his skin and he bit back a sob of pain. "So much agony to lose someone who was supposed to love you. She never looked back when she threw me to the goblins."

"Jareth, remember her song," Sarah said. "It bonds the two of you - like kindred spirits."

"I saw you in the park and thought I had found a kindred spirit." He looked up at her, crying openly. "And you used me with your damned book, laughing at my expense in your room with your beloved companions."

"All because you killed your mother," Seline whispered harshly. The younger Jareth spoke up now.

"I did not! And I will not blame myself for it any more." He looked up at his older self. "It is time to forgive. That is the lesson Sarah was sent to teach you - teach us. We must not live in fear for something we could not change."

A shimmer danced over the walls and settled in front of them. It took the form of a woman with blonde hair and kind green eyes.

"You are mine heart," the woman said. "Forgive yourself for believing you were less than my beloved son. Forgive me for trying to keep you safe."

"I forgive you," the younger boy said to his mother and her spirit sighed. "I love you, Mama."

Jareth released his younger self and fell to his knees. "Mama, forgive me."

"Mine angel, you are the sun and moon to be always." Jareth's younger self hugged the older and a soft breeze swirled, surrounding the two halves of Jareth's nature, bringing them back together in a burst of light. Where the two Jareths had been, a baby swaddled in a white cloth hovered in front of Sarah. Seline and Jareth's mother nodded to each other and his mother faded away.

"What happened - where did they go?" Sarah asked, shocked. Seline smiled.

"When you defeated him, his soul split in two. His human side knew you could save him but his darker nature would not believe. He was in agony, Sarah, not knowing if he had a place in either world, human or Under Ground. He's at peace now. He'll be reborn human, somewhere in time. He'll remember nothing of this life."

"Or me," Sarah said sadly. Seline smiled.

"I'm sorry if I seemed cruel, it was what he needed to continue his fight. Now he can start over."

"Will he have a good family?" Sarah stared at the baby, tears filling her eyes.

"I will see to it," the Guardian said softly. "And now it is time for you to return home."

"Will I - remember?" Sarah asked. She nodded at the girl who was still destined to be Jareth's own someday. Though it was prudent not to mention it now.

"And someday, if you wish it - you may meet him again. But he may not remember you."

"That does not matter - I'll remember him."

Sarah grew sleepy and faded to the floor. When she awoke, she was home in her own bed. Sighing, she snuggled into the blankets and made a wish that would someday come back to claim her.

"I wish that I could tell him how much he meant to me."


End file.
